When people face the end of their marriage and they decide to save themselves the time, stress and money involved with a litigated California divorce, they may be making a wise decision.  However, they also face several issues that must be worked out just as if the divorce was being litigated.  One of the most overlooked issues that can arise when people work to end a marriage is estate planning.

Generally, when couples are married and they decide to take the responsible step of planning for their deaths with regards to both each other and any children they may have, they often include each other as beneficiaries in their wills, trusts or other instruments.  This is clearly common, and it’s dome for the sole reason to avoid estate taxes and other problems that can arise in probate.

California probate law will dictate which party inherits which property and assets if someone dies without a will or some other estate planning instrument in place.  These laws almost always dictate that the assets of the estate will move from the community property marital estate and into the sole name of the surviving spouse.

Carlsbad Divorce Mediation Lawyers

Therefore, anyone who decides to work out a civil end to their marriage needs to add the issues regarding estate planning to their list of items that need to be worked out.  A failure to take these steps could lead to much in the way of acrimony down the road between the surviving spouse, the children of the marriage or any other would-be beneficiaries of the assets that are to be transferred.

If you and your spouse want to work together to bring about a legal end to your marriage, you need to take the proper steps to find a professional to help you work through this process.  Doing so will ensure that you will execute an agreement that will be approved by the court that’s overseeing the dissolution of the marriage.  You can obtain this help from Carlsbad divorce mediation lawyers who have helped many couples go their separate ways in a civil and efficient manner.  Contact Zonder Family Law today to schedule an initial consultation.